Holly Whitaker

College kids are headed back to school this fall with unprecedented stress and anxiety and surrounded by messages of how alcohol can make everything better. Bestselling author Holly Whittaker, whose book Quit Like a Woman is used in a popular Notre Dame class called Drunk on Film, explains how pervasive depictions in our society—from advertising to movies, to social media—manipulate kids into thinking that alcohol is a key part of achieving happiness and success. Holly argues that the story we tell ourselves is that alcohol is an important part in our lives. Alcohol is seen as the key ingredient in connecting with friends, building memoires, networking, attending sporting events, dating and falling in love… But what happens when we clearly see these messages in society for what they are: manipulation and marketing. Holly explains the empowerment we feel when we finally realize that connection is about humans, not alcohol.

Currently, only 2% of the 51 million people who need help with alcohol receive treatment. Finding a path to recovery is complex, and existing options require people to surrender to a rigid program that wasn’t built with the needs of everyone in mind. Both traditional recovery programs and Big Alcohol place the responsibility on individuals who can’t manage the toxic, carcinogenic drug. This is why it is important to ditch the term “alcoholic” and shift the blame back to alcohol, the same way Big Tobacco is to blame for smoking addiction. Based on her own experience, Whitaker developed a modern approach to recovery that adapts to individual needs through a holistic, evidence-based digital recovery platform. Access and flexibility are what make digital healthcare solutions so appealing and groundbreaking, but through peer support and community, we can drastically change the impact of virtual healthcare. By intertwining real-life connections and online support systems, modern recovery can work for the millions of people questioning their relationship with alcohol and looking for an option that can easily fit into their life and adapt to their needs.

Throughout history, women have been marginalized and oppressed, and alcohol companies have spent millions on advertising campaigns to convince women that drinking equates to freedom and confidence. In reality, alcohol takes power and agency away from women and keeps them down. By recounting the story of her own path to recovery, Whitaker explains how she realized that choosing not to drink can be a reclamation of power and a radical choice in today’s culture. Whitaker explains what it means to “Quit Like a Woman'' in order to unlock your full potential, change your relationship with alcohol, and spark other improvements in health, wellness, and quality of life.

As younger generations are looking to drink less and embrace abstaining from alcohol altogether, companies need to adapt. By detailing her own journey in navigating the tech corporate world, Whitaker speaks to why and how encouraging drinking enables unprofessional behavior and an unhealthy, burnt-out team. Instead, true cooperation comes from deeper, more meaningful connections that alcohol obstructs. She can also speak to concrete steps companies should take to create a more inclusive environment, such as planning alternatives to happy hours, offering equally attractive non-alcoholic beverages and providing more robust services for employees like peer support groups and access to behavioral healthcare solutions.